Improvisation Concert Guqin Solo
For the Finissage of the exhibition “Das Licht der Mikrocodes- Die Poetik von Körper, Raum und Gestalt” curated by Wanqian Lin, Wolfgang Schwabe will play improvised variations of the ancient Chinese guqin tune “Liezi Riding the Wind”.
///A note on improvising on traditional qin music///
There are different ways to embark from a traditional qin melody into improvisation. Incorporated into the reading and interpretation of any traditional qin tabulature is the process of “dapu”打譜. It decides about the length and the emphasis applied to each note and thus structures the musical piece in question. This allows a considerable freedom for the performing musician to recreate a new version of the piece with each performance. During the performance additional notes or even passages may be added depending on the mood at the moment.
An even freer approach takes clues from the mood, the phrases and techniques of a given qin piece to create something new on the spot, be it abstract music, soundscape or elaborations of one or several themes prominent in the given piece.